MADD Launches 29th Annual Red Ribbon Campaign

Mothers Against Drunk Driving hopes Londoners will get on board with tying one on to save a life — tying a red ribbon, that is.

The London branch of MADD launched its 29th Annual Red Ribbon campaign with the help of local emergency officials on Friday at Covent Garden Market.

The event featured first responders, MADD London President Mary Rodrigues, and Sara Reddecopp. She was in a vehicle with her mother when they were struck by a drunk driver two years ago. Her mother, Marie, died at the scene and Reddecopp suffered major injuries.

“It was June 21st [2014], I had just finished work, and my mom came to pick me up,” Reddecopp told AM980. “In the past two-and-a-half years, I’ve had nine surgeries to put myself back together. It’s been a long process.”

Reddecopp was just 18 at the time of the crash.

“I’m a college student so I know how many parties go on [during] weekends and I know how many people don’t take time to get a cab. They think ‘Well, it’s not gonna happen to me, and I have gotten away with it before’. I just want to prevent that from happening to someone else.

More than 1,250 people are killed and 63,000 are injured in impairment-related crashes every year in Canada, according to MADD.